Kawenata convinces Ngāmotu Corps to go all-in

They’ve only been in their roles for a six-months, but Ngāmotu Corps officers, Auxillary Captains Maryanne and Gareth Shearman have already taken great strides in growing the use of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori throughout the organisation.

And they want to see stronger support for Māori within Te Ope Whakaora to bring to life the intention of the Kawenata signed between the Territorial Governance Board and the re-established Rūnanga in 2023.

The couple – both tangata Tiriti – are passionate about seeing Māori culture and language thrive and determined to ensure the Ngāmotu Corps is a welcoming place for everyone, including whānau Māori.

Their most recent efforts include helping coordinate the collection of blankets and pillows for Melbourne roopu Te Atawhai Puumanawa at the recent Te Matatini o te Kāhui Maunga kapa haka competition in Ngāmotu.

The group was staying over an hour away from Ngāmotu at Mōkau Marae and had been unable to bring the bulky items with them from Australia.

Corps whānau answered the call and while for many it would have been their only interaction with Te Matatini, Maryanne says it was a valuable exercise “for them to know that we have served the kaupapa and we’ve served whānau”.

“What was important for us was to check first with the marae, that they were happy with us helping with their manaakitanga,” she says.

Providing a marae-like environment in the Corps itself is something the couple would love to replicate.

“We want to have 50 mattresses here so another Corps can come and stay,” Maryanne says.

“It’s something we’ve been thinking about a lot,” Gareth says.

“These buildings that the Salvation Army owns, our dream is that this becomes more like a marae, so if there’s whānau travelling through we can host them here.”

“We’ve got such amazing assets that we want this place to be used 24/7 like it should be. That’s really important, I think it’s who the Salvation Army is,” Gareth says.

“If we want to incorporate te Ao Māori it needs to affect policies,” Maryanne says.

For a couple of Pākehā, Maryanne and Gareth are doing their utmost to embrace te Ao Māori, all the while learning how to navigate what can be a challenging space for non-Māori.

They say the signing of the Kawenata in 2023 was a key initiative and gave them the confidence to not only take on the role of Corps officers but also to embrace te Ao Māori in an authentic way.

“We would not have jumped if not for those embedded documents and commitments by the Salvation Army,” Maryanne says.

“There’s no way we would be here if we couldn’t trust that something real is happening in that space. We would never want to lead a church without living out that mandate that is actually on the church in New Zealand, to honour the Treaty, and for me it’s prophetic, why would you do it any other way?”

Gareth says embracing Māori culture offers so many benefits to Te Ope Whakaora.

“Just look at what culture does to a place. It brings so much life. So, for us, that’s the thing we’re seeing and the more we’re encouraged to keep going on this journey.”

It hasn’t been an easy journey, “but gradually, slowly, we’re getting there”.

Maryanne, who is a fluent te reo speaker, says there’s an absolute need for more support for reo speakers throughout the organisation.

“There is not much support for reo speakers in the wider Salvation Army – it is left to me to find places and people to keep the reo alive and growing,” she says.

“I would love to see study options and development pathways made available for TSA that deliver in te reo Māori, rather than English.”

It’s unlikely that more te reo speakers would be encouraged to attend the Corps unless speaking te reo was an accepted part of their practice.

And while they are confident in their approach, Gareth and Maryanne are very much aware that implementing a te Ao Māori approach to their mahi has not been universally embraced.

They understand and acknowledge the challenges some people have accepting the changes te Ao Māori brings.

“We have a Western culture that runs our churches, so to bring in tikanga Māori we have to say goodbye to some tikanga Western. That’s a big deal, because people are going to experience loss, they’re going to experience discomfort, they’re going to experience misunderstanding, so it’s a very slow process,” she says.

“But it has to be real, it has to be slow, and we have to have tangata Māori who are totally there with us otherwise it will never work.”

To further support their mahi, they continue to work on growing their relationship with Taranaki hapū and iwi, and understand they need to be seen to be walking the walk, as much as talking the talk, particularly as non-Māori.

“We’ve got to be embodying the change before we go ask for their blessing, so it’s okay if it’s slow and it’s okay if we wait another year. We’ll just trust God’s opening,” Maryanne says.

“As much as it would be nice to have it all done, there is that element of God and God cares about this and he can open doors and connect people.”

Gareth says their mission has been a constant learning experience.

“I grew up in the Salvation Army and a thing that we’re really trying to figure out is how to properly integrate kaupapa Māori into what we do. I’ve seen how you can use Māori culture in a token way, like just get someone to speak at the beginning of the meeting and that’s it, but that doesn’t sit right with me. So our journey has been about how do we make it so that it is completely in everything, it’s normalised, it’s not a token thing,” he says.

“I think one thing that we’re really trying to figure out is how kaupapa is properly integrated into what we do. And we’re still figuring that out how to do this. I’ve been brought up in this Western church culture and how do I adjust myself? How do we navigate that?

“So yeah, lots of learning. It’s been a real journey for us, but there’s a lot of people here we’re so grateful for.”